Christmas Was Over

So many stories I’ve promised - guess I’ll get my behind in gear and catch up a bit.  Let’s start with Thanksmas... Some friends had Thanksgiving dinner during the middle of November since they would be out of town for the holiday.  I promised pictures of their house - all decked out for Christmas - all the garland and all of the trees...  click here to enjoy the pictures.

Then on Thanksgiving itself - I  was at my dad’s in Big Bear.  My brother and his family came up for dinner and as my 5 year old nephew, Luke, explored the house - he found the place he wanted to sleep for the night.  On the bottom floor of my dad’s house, he has a cedar closet under the stairs - so Luke decided he wanted to be just like Harry Potter (he actually was wearing his Harry Potter costume on Thanksgiving) and sleep in the closet under the stairs.  He was devastated when they didn’t spend the night - yeah - like we would really let him sleep in a cedar closet!

Let me add a mom story for the road...

So back in the beginning of December, the place my lives in had a Holiday dinner for the residents and their families.  So my brother and I went - it was really nice - my mom was so happy to have us both there - introducing us to everyone.  Well at the end of dinner, we went back to her room and she looked at her Christmas Tree (which I had set up earlier in the week) and said that she could put it away since Christmas was over.  We tried to convince her that Christmas wasn’t for another couple of weeks - but the following week when I went by - sure enough - the tree was put back in the closet!  God Bless Her!

Finally - Happy New Year!  Blessings and love to you all!

Magazine Madness

So a friend of mine brought in some magazines to work today for our enjoyment - during our breaks, of course!  I was perusing through the Woman’s World - and I found this little blurb about carrying a big bag - and as I read the article, I realized that the nugget we heard in Weight Watchers a month or so ago has now been confirmed.  I don’t remember if I blogged about it - I remember thinking that I should - but that stuff doesn’t always make it into the written word.  So at WW one of the women said that if you carry a bigger purse - it makes your butt look smaller.  And here in the Woman’s World magazine - it said the same thing... one way to trim down instantly - carry a big bag!  Does two sources make it a truth?!

In that same magazine, they were listing off movies that you should watch to make you feel happier and less stressed.  So to live longer, they suggested ‘Legally Blonde’ and in the article they commented ‘Laughter also triggers endorphins’ - well, from the movie we also know that... 'Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands.'  I know I’ve used that quote before - but it’s one of my favorites from the movie!

And finally, I was looking at People magazine - which I should know better than to do - especially since I didn’t recognize any of the teeny boppers that they showcased in the different articles.  Maybe a friend’s daughter is right - I am old!  Hmmm... Nah!

Random Thoughts From Work...

So I’ve been in class the last couple of weeks, so it was nice this morning to be able to come in and just leisurely tear down and clean up the classroom.  I went into the classroom and sat down at the instructor computer that faces the students - looked at the posters in the back of the room and saw this picture - notice what type of Expectations we are listing - they are actually Class Expectations - but I had put a geography poster that one of the students made partially over the list - and this morning - this just really made me laugh - it was like that for almost the entire class - oops! :)

So as I’m cleaning up the classroom, I realize that one of the computers was locked out so I need to call the help desk to get the password reset.  We have an automated system to unlock passwords and thought I would try it - it turned out to be automated system hell!  I spoke the user name - and it didn’t recognize it - so I tried it again and it still didn’t understand - I tried a third time and it interrupted me mid speaking and started giving me the information that it had - which was wrong - in frustration I pressed 0 hoping I could speak to an operator.  It told me that it would be a less than 3 minute wait - after 5 minutes I decided that I was probably being punished and would have to wait longer since I zeroed out.  At least I got to enjoy my favorite part of calling the help desk - ‘Please Hold.’

As I was sitting waiting for the help desk to answer - I was looking out the windows of the classroom that open up to a covered walk on the side of the building.  It seemed odd to me that there was a woman walking with her umbrella up along the covered walkway - it made me laugh - which is always a good thing.

And last but not least - a friend of mine was talking about going on some dates from an online dating service and first started talking about how this guy reminded her of some kind of stalker and then she started referring to him as a serial killer - yeah - sounds like fun!

Six Second Sadie

So I feed Sadie in two installments in the morning and in the evening - check out this blog entry for a reminder of why!  This morning I picked up her bowl and set it on the counter for the second installment of breakfast.  Usually once she hears me drop food in the bowl - she is in the kitchen within seconds - this morning was a little different.  She was nowhere to be found - so before I put the bowl back down - I went on a bit of a search.  She was sitting in the window - between the pane and the blinds - very intently staring out the window at something that must have been going on outside.  She must have really been interested in it because I was able to put the bowl back down on the floor - and she never rushed over.  So she must have sensed at some point that I was getting ready to leave - so she wandered over to where the bowl is and sat there - as if to remind me that I needed to feed her.  So I just stood and watched her for a few moments - knowing that the bowl was full.  It took her a few seconds - but she started sniffing a bit near the bowl and then peeked over the edge - and I swear - when she noticed the food - she had this Oouu Shrimp look on her face!  I know it sounds crazy - but it was like Six Second Sadie (instead of Ten Second Tom - get it?! hee hee hee)!  Anyway - it made me laugh - God Bless Her!

Greetings from the Gallery!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted - life has been a bit crazy lately. But just wanted to take a moment - while the Gallery is empty for the first time today - to say Happy Thanksgiving! I thank God for the blessings of this year and especially the blessings of my friends - God Bless Us Everyone (oh, wait - that's Christmas)! Enjoy the long holiday weekend and I'll try to get something posted later in the weekend - have a cute story about my nephew Luke. Blessings to you all!

Enjoy The Ride

Early Saturday morning greetings!  Couldn't sleep - so rather than lay in bed all frustrated like - thought I would get up and ramble on the computer for a bit - there are several stories to tell - which will all probably just spill out - so enjoy the ride...

When I woke up at 3am this morning - I immediately started to pet the cat - thought it might relax me into being able to sleep again - and the rule in the house is - if I'm not sleeping - neither is Sadie - she gets the pleasure of sleeping all day long while I have to be at work - so the least she can do is stay awake in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.  Of course, by 3:30am she'd had enough and jumped off the bed - unacceptable.  I thought maybe she was just using the facilities or getting some water - but I heard her jump onto her cat tree - probably thinking she would get more sleep away from me - definitely correct in her thinking!  But I wouldn't have that - again - if I can't sleep - neither can she - so I called her name - made my clicking and kissy noise and within a minute she was back up on the bed - of course, her tail told me she wasn't really happy about it - but she was a good sport all the same - sat nicely while I bugged her before I decided that trying to sleep was a futile endeavor and just decided to get up.

One of my problems is that I've been sick all week - caught a nasty cold early on - and driving to and teaching in Long Beach all week probably didn't help.  I've been taking my Zicam all week - which I think has helped - but this cold seems determined to make its way down to my chest.  Was all congested and started coughing while in bed and decided that getting up and sitting might help - that along with cough syrup, if I could find any.  Well, I did find some - although it expired in March of this year - oh well - I took it anyway - what's the worst that can happen - it will have lost it potency and won't work.  Although I'm not sure if it is sitting up or the cough syrup - but I do feel better since I got up.

Now the battle is not to eat anything - I woke up hungry but have to weigh in at Weight Watchers in a couple of hours.  I really wanted hot chocolate when I woke up - but will save that for later - have had a craving to try Starbucks Hazel Nut Hot Chocolate on recommendation from a good friend! - am making myself a cup of tea right now instead.

I just noticed that the cat is watching me from just inside my bedroom - like she is beckoning me back into the room to sleep!  Maybe I'll lay on the couch for a bit and continue my marathon of 'The Office' - have only watched it on occasion - but have started renting it from the first season - hilarious - and the commentary by the cast on the DVD's is wonderful!  Ok - enough for now - wanted you all to know that I am still alive and relatively speaking - well.

Looking For God

So I got home from church today and as I walked up to my place - I looked for the cat in the window - one of her favorite spots is to position herself between the blinds and the window to get full access to the scenery and in the morning - the sun.  Well, she wasn't there - I walk in and look in the usual places and I still don't see her - then I realize that there is a pile of laundry sitting on my bed - yep - there she was.  And it got me thinking about something that has been on my mind this week - and really helped me through - something Pastor Darren said in his devotional on Tuesday night - about looking for God in the everyday things.

So I want to share with you some places that I've found God this weekend...  It goes without saying that He is in the wonderful friends that I have been blessed with - I love you all!  But He was also in my students this week - such a wonderful group - I look forward to seeing them again on Tuesday!  At breakfast yesterday morning - He was in the 9 or 10 year old kid that was so polite and held the door for me.  I went to the grocery store yesterday and saw this little girl all dressed up and her dad was dancing with her in the aisles.  Today He was definitely in the prayer that Aaron gave - but He was also in Julie and Allison (a mom and 1st grade old daughter) as they held hands and danced to the praise music!  And He was definitely in the little boy during the children's moment that when asked by Pastor Darren what his favorite gift was - said his brother Jake.

And last night - I went and made dinner for my niece and nephews and we sat down to eat at the dining room table - I commented that the breakfast nook table seemed more formal like it should be in the dining room probably because of the candlesticks.  My 5 year old nephew - without saying a word - got up - walked over and brought the candlesticks to our table - God Bless him and his family!

I Wasn't Paying Attention At All

Believe it or not - I was able to pass by the Caltrans sign today without being completely obsessed with it - of course, as several of you know, I had other things on my mind.  It wasn't until I was past the airport that I realized that I hadn't been paying attention to it at all - maybe I've broken the habit - we'll see tomorrow!

So I was looking for an outlet this evening so I picked up my guitar and started blasting out Christmas songs - I figure if my friends can have garland up in their house - I can start singing Christmas songs.  And I just really enjoyed it - I need to remember how therapeutic guitar playing can be.  I'm not sure the cat agreed - notice her one eye open - watching me!

And finally - ended up at the Communications meeting tonight even though I told them I wouldn't be there - my other plans for the evening were cancelled.  I debated going - but was glad that I did - Darren gave a wonderful devotional that was exactly what I needed to hear - God is Good - as I sometimes need reminding of as hard as that is to admit - anyway - enough for tonight...

The Obsession Continues...

So I'm teaching in Long Beach for the next two weeks and went today to set up the classroom - and on the way home - this time on the 405 - there was a sign indicating the amount of time it should take to get to JW Airport - 12 minutes.  I, of course, had to time it - and I did get there in 12 minutes - but again, I was speeding most of the way.

So as I'm speeding down the freeway - cruising in the fast lane - this little white Sentra comes whizzing by me.  I watch for a bit as he weaves in and out of traffic through the slow lanes.  I lose track of him and then a few minutes later - here he comes again - whizzing by me in the slow lanes.  He passed me FOUR times!  Apparently - all the weaving in and out of traffic without using his signal wasn't really working out for him.  Just goes to show that slow (relatively speaking) and steady wins the race!

One other thing I had to comment on - last week, some friends of mine went to see Madonna and asked me to stop in and check on their dog.  Well, I get to the house - walk in and I can't believe it.  Click here to see what I saw - unacceptable!  I'm so traumatized - that's all I can write tonight!

Wanted To Create Suspense

I guess it has been a little longer than a day or two - wanted to create suspense of whether I followed 'the rules' - yeah - that's it!  So to find out whatever happened to Mr. Pumpkin - you'll have to click here...  because the picture that is showing here was actually carved by B's step daughter - I think she did a wonderful job!  Isn't it cute?!

Anyway - I know it isn't very much - but this entry will have to do for now - not sure where all my time has gone - but, like always, will try to do better this week!  Blessing to you all!

Did You Know There Were Rules?

About roasting pumpkin seeds?  Several people have told me this - I had no idea.  Apparently you can't just gut the pumpkin for the seeds - you must carve it also.  I haven't done anything with a pumpkin for years - but after roasting pumpkin seeds with my cousin on vacation - I thought it would be nice to roast some more.  So pumpkins were only $3.50 at Trader Joe's - so I picked one up earlier in the week and last night I gutted it for the seeds - they are roasting right now - but to keep you interested - you'll have to come back later in the week to find out the fate of the pumpkin - I'll post pics of the gutting and the seeds tomorrow or the next day.  So for now - have a lovely middle of the week and stay tuned...

You Already Know What I'm Thinking

So yesterday I spent most of the day at Disneyland - and had a wonderful time.  A little different than when I went with the adults a couple of weeks ago - but it was so much fun with Cindy and her kids - Brian - about to turn 7 and Maddie - just turned 4 - wanted to set the stage.  

When I got there I went into the bathroom outside of the park before I met up with them and when I walked in - there was Brian standing by the exit and I looked at him and said - I know you - how are you, Brian?  And he got this big smile on his face - which was a nice feeling, since there was one time that I met them at Disneyland years ago and he turned and ran away - I just have that charming influence on kids :) - usually I make babies cry - like Angelica on Rug Rats - but I digress...

So we went in and first went on Buzz Lightyear - and at first, neither of the kids wanted to sit with me - but as we were going through the queue, Brian and Maddie ran ahead and we rounded a corner and met up with them and Maddie came up to me running full speed to give me a hug - melted my heart - she was my ride buddy from there on!  She was so excited about the ride and as soon as we got on the ride, she grabbed the blaster and was ready to go!  It was fun.  We then wandered over to Star Tours and had to measure Maddie to make sure she was tall enough and she was - and she got so excited when she found out she could go on the ride - it was very cute to see - although I'm not sure she was as excited about the ride itself!

We then went over to Autopia and again, Maddie was my ride buddy - and it was like we were made for each other - we got in the car and she kept saying - go faster - go faster!  But if you have ever driven the Autopia cars - the gas pedal can actually be hard to hold down and not that easy to go faster!

So after a stint in Tomorrowland, we wandered over to Splash Mountain - Brian and Cindy went on that and Maddie and I went on Winnie the Pooh.  At one point while we were standing in line - mainly to keep her occupied since she kept trying to climb over everything - I asked her where we were on the map that she had - it was very important that she be able to carry the map the whole time - well she opened up the map and was showing it to me - face up for me and upside down for her - and all I could think was - she would make a great district office employee since they are supposed to mark the maps upside down (facing the member) when they are doing a routing or a TripTik!  Unfortunately, shortly after that - they announced that the ride had broken down - so now I had to explain to her why we couldn't go in to see Winnie the Pooh - I told her he had to take a nap.  She didn't like that and started to stomp out of the line - even dropping her map in the process!  I got quite a few sympathetic looks from the adults in line as I followed her out - and of course, all I could think of was that it was so something that I would have blogged about if I had witnessed someone elses kid doing it!

So now we had to wait for mom and Brian to finish with their ride - so I asked her if she wanted to go into the shop - did she want to walk around - all she at first wanted to do was stand in the middle of the walkway with her head down.  I did get her over to the side and I sat down on the ground and somehow we started a game of peek a boo - with her hiding behind me - and then she wanted to play with my hat and to tell you the truth - we had a grand old time - probably more fun than if we had gone on the ride - got some cute pictures of the whole thing.  

After that we went on Haunted Mansion - that one I rode by myself - neither kids wanted to be my ride buddy - I don't really blame them - nothing is better than riding with mom - they did wave to me on the ride though!  Then we went on Pirates and again, Maddie was climbing over everything and I kept reminding her to get down and she kept doing it - I then started to ignore her - that seemed to help a bit.

So Cindy really wanted to go on Space Mountain - so we headed back over there - but before we got there - Brian wanted to go on the Rockets - he really likes that ride.  So we get in line and Maddie starts climbing on things again and this time I completely ignore her from the beginning - she looks at me and says hello - and is trying to get my attention and I look at her and say - 'you already know what I'm thinking' - and she says 'to get down!'  At least I now know that she hears me - she just doesn't obey - I let Cindy take it from there.

After that Cindy and Brian went on Space Mountain and Maddie and I decided to go look at the castle - while we were over there I thought it would be fun to ride the carousel - which I found out later is one of Maddie's favorites (one of mine too) - so we went over and rode the horses and on our way back to Space Mountain, I noticed that they had pumpkins carved as Disney characters - so we stopped and took a few pictures there - it was fun.

At that point they were going to head somewhere for dinner and I made my exit - had dinner with another friend planned for the evening.  So I said my goodbyes and got hugs from everyone and just really had a great time!  To see pictures of the great time - click here.  And God Bless the Happiest Place on Earth!

Seriously Cute

Goodness - I was so good last weekend while I was on vacation - then I had to go back to that place called wuh wuh wuh - aka work.  And then I don't know exactly what happened to the week - I do know that I have so many ideas running around in my head - and quite a few blog notes that I've taken that I'll work on getting it all in.  For today - wanted to at least post something to let you all know I am alive and well and have a couple of stories from yesterday...

So as you probably know from a couple of weeks ago, I'm OBSESSED with those Caltrans electronic signs that tell how much time it will take to get to a certain point.  I really can't go by one now without clocking it.  Yesterday was no different.  I was in Fullerton Thursday and Friday so I was taking the 5 freeway again - Thursday there was an accident - so that is what was featured on the sign - but yesterday there wasn't anything on the sign on my way to work and I just didn't quite know what to do..3661`2  - those last few characters were Sadie's contribution to the entry... anyway - back to the story - luckily - on the way home there was a sign near Main Street that said it would take 10 minutes to get to the 133.  Yeah - if you speed!  I made it in 10 minutes - but, again, I had to speed to do it! 

So while I was at the Fullerton office, I was using someone's office that was right by the waiting area for the members - and had the pleasure yesterday - all day long - of listening to a particular episode of Huell Howser interview people in Yreka (up near Mount Shasta).  The day before was Rick Steve's in Italy - he wasn't as obtrusive - don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed watching Huell Howser in the past - but for 8 hours a day - the same show over and over - glad I'm done with that!

So on my way home yesterday - I stopped at Costco to kill some time before meeting Brandy for dinner at the Spectrum and there were a couple of things that I found fascinating - first off - they had brand new vinyl records for sale - that were copyrighted in 2008!  What's up with that?  There were a couple of bands - but the only one I could remember was the Beach Boys.  

They also had boxed sets of three DVD's for several different actors.  The boxed sets for Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp were all $19.99 - while the sets for George Clooney, Drew Barrymore, Natalie Portman and Angelina Jolie were only $8.79 - they must not rate as well!  Again, fascinating!

But you want to talk about fascinating - check out the Spectrum on a Friday night!  The different people and what they were wearing!  Some GREAT people watching - just great!  We, of course, ate at Wahoo's - our traditional Spectrum fare.  We changed things up a bit and sat outside - it just seemed too nice an evening to be inside - had to walk through a group of people having a full on conversation while standing in the middle of the aisle though - what were they thinking?  And we are starting to take bets on whether the server will take the little table tent numbers when they drop off the food.  We each had our own number on the table and when they brought all our food - they picked one up and left the other one - which they retrieved later - which seems about par for the course!

After dinner we wandered around a bit and did some shopping.  That's when I found a skirt on clearance for $6.99 - when I brought it to the front - it rang up for $2.14!  What a deal - thought about going back for one in every color!  Also saw this cute baby skirt on clearance and just had to show it to B - said to her - look at how cute this is - to which she responded - really cute - then I looked at the tag on it and the tag said - seriously cute!  How fun is that.  Anyway - we had a lovely evening - as always - and got more than our share of people watching done!

Today I enjoyed the day at the Happiest Place on Earth - but you will have to wait to see pictures and hear about that - must be up early in the morning.

Exercise In Patience

Well, I'm back home now - sitting in the dining room - what has become my 'office.'  No more lovely plants or animals to enjoy - except the pumpkin sitting on my dining room table and of course, the cat - who does seem to be glad to see me!

So what happened to the rest of my last day up North...  well, Michele and I went to see 'The Duchess' - which I enjoyed - especially the music - composed by Rachel Portman.  One thing I found amusing was at the beginning of the film they show Kiera Knightly running around with her friends and then she finds out she is going to be married to the Duke - so at the wedding, they put her hair all up - actually it's a wig - but I swear it reminded me of the Bride of Frankenstein!

After the movie - we went back to the house and carved up one of the pumpkins from our outing the other day so we could roast the seeds - the entire process is chronicled in pictures  - check them out here  - also included in the pictures is one of my dad leaning forward so he can see and hear the TV better - his boy, McCain was on!  When Michele and I got back from the movies and started talking with my aunt in the other room - we noticed that my dad kept turning the TV volume up - it was at that time that I snapped the picture!

After that I spent a little more time out in the garden reading my book and then we had dinner.  After dinner, my dad held court and was telling stories about the Gallery.  Our favorite story was about the tall Spaniards that live in Mexico City that come and visit the Gallery!  It makes me laugh just thinking about it (and Michele, I bet you are laughing right now too)!  He also talked about white water rafting with wetsuits - God Bless Him!  We turned in relatively early since we had an early morning wake up call! - 5:15am!

We were up - packed and driving out of the driveway at 6:02am.  I stayed awake for the first 45 minutes - felt like I should keep my dad some company while he was driving that early in the morning!  At about 6:45am though - as the sun was coming up - I did get my pillow out and nap for about an hour.  At 8am my dad took this offramp that led to nowhere and I asked him what he was doing - he told me it was my turn to drive.  He must have been pretty tired - didn't give me much warning and since there really wasn't any place to stop - he got back on the onramp and pulled over to the side of it so we could change places.  He was asleep within 15 minutes!  Come 9am, though, he was up and ready for 3 hours of Rush Limbaugh!  I only had to endure 2 hours on the way up since we ate an early lunch - but I knew there was no getting out of it this time.

And although it was a wonderful weekend - and I could have gone for several more days of rest and relaxation - there is something to be said about being at home.  And God knows that the drive home was definitely an exercise in patience - between Rush Limbaugh and my dad barking driving directions at me - God Bless Him.  We didn't stop for lunch or anything - except gas and the bathroom - so we made it to Big Bear around 1:30pm - which was nice for me since I could then get back on the road by 2pm and drive another 2 hours to get home.  So it was nice to be home relatively early - unpack and do a load of laundry.  Also take some time to get my game face on before I have to go to work in the morning.  Michele - thanks so much for your hospitality - and thank your mom also - and if you are ever in So Cal again - feel free to stop on by and stay a bit.

Party In The Park

Greetings from the Garden!

It has been simply beautiful up here - not sure what the weather has been like in So Cal - haven't been checking - but it's been wonderful where I've been.  I little chilly this morning - but that's ok - I have a sweatshirt so I can enjoy the garden - just too nice not to sit out here.  Also don't want to miss all the birds flitting around - the squirrels coming to visit!  And yesterday - what a day!

Didn't do too much around my Aunt Jo's after I posted - we had lunch - sat around and talked - my dad even turned off the TV for a bit!  Then we headed out to Brentwood to see my Aunt Anne - and she had invited everyone in the area to come - not everyone was able to make it - but got to see all my first cousins - everyone I grew up with at family reunions!  And the day was warm and sunny and pretty and we all just had a great time.  We played Bocce ball, horseshoes and just sat around and chatted and ate - and drank.  Was feeling quite good for a bit - I figured - I'm on vacation and I'm not driving - after four glasses of wine, though, I did switch to my cousin Kathleen's 'wine spritzers' - a mix of wine and Sprite.  It was so much fun - check out the fun here!

I have an uncle that is wheelchair bound - but zips around town in his electric chair.  He lives in the same area as my Aunt Anne and as we were a couple of blocks from house yesterday - my dad saw someone in a wheelchair driving on the sidewalk and in jest said - 'Look, there's Uncle John' - as we passed him - we looked back and Michele said 'I think that is Uncle John' - lo and behold - we found out later that it was!  Probably one of those stories that you had to live through to appreciate - but we all found it amusing!

And today, like I said, another beautiful day - unfortunately, the last day.  Michele and I might go to the movies later this afternoon - but for now - I'm just enjoying the morning and the beauty around me.  God Bless Us, Everyone! 

What A Wonderful Vacation It Has Been

Greetings again from Northern California!  So yesterday, after my marathon blogging session - for one entry - I spent some more time out in the garden.  We then had lunch and my cousin, Michele and I went out to a pumpkin farm to pick up a couple of...  can you believe it... pumpkins!  She also bought a pomegranate.  After that I spent some time out in the garden reading - and then went upstairs and enjoyed a nap!  Ahh... what a wonderful vacation it has been.  After dinner last night - Michele and I went to the Natalie MacMaster concert in Napa - about an hour drive - but definitely worth it!  She and her band were WONDERFUL!  All the energy and seeing her dance around on the stage while 4 months pregnant!  And the music reminded me a bit of Barrage.  It was just a really great evening - and nice to get out of the house by ourselves.  

Today we are off to another aunt's house for a picnic and BBQ with her family.  Should be another wonderful day.  So to see how my dad has spent his vacation - along with other pictures including the wildlife in the garden - click here.

My View At The Moment

This is my view at the moment.

Sitting out in my aunt's backyard - enjoying the beauty around me!  What a beautiful day - this is the day the Lord has made!

So yesterday my dad and I made our way up to Northern California.  It was a pretty uneventful drive.  We were driving out of the driveway at 6:30am - right on schedule.  I took some pictures along the way - check them out here - keeping in mind that several of them were taken from a moving car!  We stopped in Harris Ranch for lunch - mmm the best French Dip sandwich I've ever had!  Saw lots of crops - saw a lot of this particular tree - weren't sure what it was - our guess was some kind of nut.  Saw cows and horses and even SHEEP!  Unfortunately - I was driving when we saw the sheep so I didn't get a picture of them.  Of course a couple of hours into the trip we realized that we may not have told my aunt and cousin what day we were going to arrive!  I thought my dad had talked to my aunt and my dad thought I had talked to my cousin.  As it turns out - they were ready for us when we got here around 3pm.  We had a nice afternoon chatting and then two of my other cousins came by to visit since they are going out of town for the weekend and won't be able to come to the party tomorrow evening.

And last night I got to sleep in my favorite bed ever!  The bed in my aunt's guest room is just wonderful - so I took full advantage and slept in - and now have been thoroughly enjoying sitting out here with the squirrels and the birds and just enjoying the day - this is what vacation is all about.  Tonight my cousin, Michele and I are going to the Napa Valley Opera House to see fiddle player Natalie MacMaster from Canada - can't wait!  

So it has now take me an hour to type up this entry - have been just enjoying everything around me - this really is what vacation is all about!

Beautiful Night For A Drive

Another quick hit tonight - am tired and can't wait to go to bed in this wonderful bed...  First off - Greetings from Concord!

Drove up to Big Bear last night - and it was a beautiful night for a drive!  It was late but the moon was out - almost full and it was a warm evening and I was able to leave my moonroof open the whole time.  Even spent 10 minutes or so sitting on the balcony when I got to my dad's just enjoying the night.  And B - the sleeping bag was just perfect!

The drive up here went well also - will post more tomorrow about the trip and have some pictures to share also - but wanted to get something up since it's been a couple of days.  Goodnight all and stay tuned for more tomorrow...

Fiber Enriched

Just a quick hit tonight - was hoping to get to bed early - yeah...  

So I had to go to Target today to pick up a couple of things and I noticed that Wheat Thins were on sale - they are one of my favorites!  So I went over to pick some up and noticed that the 9oz. boxes were on sale for 2 for $5.  Then I looked over at the 14.5oz box and it was regularly priced at $2.54.  What is up with that?!  Unacceptable!  Just goes to show that you need to be careful and truly look at what you are buying (or saving - or not).  Best Buy is also notorious for putting things in their ads that look like they are on sale - but aren't - and on the shelves it will say 'As Advertised' - grumble... grumble... grumble...

Then at lunch I was chatting with a friend and she had pop tarts (Jan - I thought of you and your love of pop tarts!) - but they weren't just any pop tarts - they were fiber enriched - yeah, does that make them healthy?  Healthy isn't the first word that comes to mind when I think of pop tarts - fiber enriched or not! 

Trying To Remember...

Today is my mom's birthday - she is 3/4 of a century old.  She spent the night last night since I had to take her in to the lab early this morning to get bloodwork done.  There is a Ruby's across the street from the lab so I took her to breakfast also.  And we had a good time.  I kept having to remind her that she is 75 - she wanted to remember so she could tell her friends if they asked.  So we are sitting there and I'm just staring out the window watching the trees blow around in the wind (can you believe the wind?!) and my mom all of a sudden asks me what I'm thinking about.  Not much - just watching the trees in the wind.  So I ask her the same thing about what she is thinking about and she says she is trying to remember that she is 75 years old today!  I just thought that was hilarious!  We had a really good laugh about it!  And I think she is losing her taste - every time I ask her how her food tastes - she always says not very good.  And with the amount of milk and sugar she puts in her coffee nowadays (she never put sugar in her coffee when I was younger) - she might as well just order sweetened milk!

When we got back to her place - she told me that she needed a new TV remote because hers was missing.  So as I rummaged her drawers for laundry - I looked for the remote also.  Didn't find it in her dresser or the nightstand - so I started poking around in the closet - I knew it would be around somewhere.  I eventually found it wrapped in a sock, stuffed in one of her slippers in the bottom of the closet!  No wonder it's missing!  God Bless Her!

So I'm working on a new class at work - we have been creating some specialized classes on destinations in the USA and Canada and I'm working on Vancouver and Victoria.  To do some of the research, I've checked out some books from the library.  I found a few more books today and left work early to go pick them up since they were from a library closer to my home.  So I drive up to the library - and the parking lot seems a bit empty - and then it hits me - I should have known - but I walk up to the door anyway - yep - they are closed for Columbus Day!  You would think I'd remember - we have been getting reminders all week that our offices may be busier today since the DMV is closed - oh well!

And finally - I was able to replace the shoes that stank of the North Sea (oh - that's right - I haven't gotten to that day yet in my chronicles of England!) - the shoes that I kept and dragged around England and then eventually threw out when I got home.  I was able to get the same pair and they were even on clearance!  Most excellent.

Must go for now and make a few decisions about what I'll take up North with me.  Looked at the weather and it should be in the 70's - what to wear, what to wear!  Hope to be able to get some internet access while I'm up there so maybe I can post a few more England entries!  Ok - must go...

Caltrans and Hooky Thursday

I know, I know - here I was talking about being more consistent in my entries and I haven't posted since Monday.  So I do have another story about the Caltrans signs...

On Tuesday morning, I left about 5 minutes later - and the Caltrans sign said the same thing...  20 minutes to the 57 freeway.  And this time is was much closer!  It took about 25 minutes in comparison to the 40 minutes from the day before.  Of course, I also got off the freeway - took surface streets through Tustin and then got back on the freeway.  The sign failed to mention that you had to do that!  I do hear, though, that the signs are actually pretty accurate in the South Bay area.

Let's see what else has been going on this week - after being sick over the weekend - was feeling better on Monday and Tuesday and then my allergies decided to make an attack on Tuesday night (all night long) and Wednesday, which was miserable.  Luckily I was feeling better on 'Hooky Thursday' and I went to Disneyland.  Had several friends that I got to hang out with at the Park.  Spent the morning with Bettina and the kids and then the girls had lunch at the Blue Bayou - which was very nice - only the second time I've ever been there and the food was yummy!  Then spent the afternoon and evening with Jan and her crew - and we had a blast - enjoyed multiple visits to the various mountains of Disneyland - Thunder, Space and the Matterhorn and we were supplied with snacks from Aunt Beav's Pantry!  Doesn't get much better than that.  Tonight I had multiple obligations - none of which I attended and ended up doing some shopping and just relaxing at home because tomorrow Lynne and I are off to a Puppet Festival in Manhattan Beach - eww... and I may be able to test the Caltrans signs myself in the South Bay! :)  Enough for now - Goodnight!

Rte 57 - 20 minutes and Rte 91 - 27 minutes

Every morning when I get on the freeway to go to work - I drive past one of the those CalTrans electronic billboards - the ones that usually say - Click It or Ticket - or - Don't Drink and Drive - or - Hands Free It's the Law.  Anyway... it always gives the time it should take to get to the 57 and 91 freeways.  Usually it says Rte 57 - 14 minutes.  I've always wanted to stay on the 5 freeway to see if it is really correct - and always think that one of these days I'm just going to do the drive to see.  Well, since I was on my way to Whittier this morning - this was the day!  This morning I left a little late, so it said Rte 57 - 20 minutes and Rte 91 - 27 minutes.  That was at 8:06am.  So I was feeling pretty confident that I would make it to the office early.  Then I hit it - traffic - unbelievable traffic through Tustin - it was a day that I wished I drove an automatic!  As I'm crawling through Tustin - I glance at the clock and think - nope - it sure isn't correct.  I finally saw another sign at 8:42am (do the math) that said Rte 57 - 5 minutes and Rte 91 - 11 minutes.  By this time - the traffic had dissipated - but I discovered that the only way to make it in those times was to drive 80 mph!  Apparently, CalTrans advocates speeding - nice!  I did end up getting to the office on time - was even able to stop at Fresh and Easy to get some water - forgot to bring any and didn't want to be without it - especially since I'm still trying to get over my cold.  So the moral of the story is - unlike the Happiest Place on Earth that is actually pretty accurate in their wait time estimates - CalTrans is lousy at it!

The day went well - the folks in the office were very nice - I go back tomorrow to work some more with them. I did see an interesting sight on the way home - it was a Winchell's Donut shop!  I had to look twice to see if it was actually open - I haven't seen one of those in a long time - I almost had to stop in just for old times sake!

Please Consult Your Own Physician

Am trying to get back into being consistent with the blog - but am going to play the sick card for yesterday.  Stayed home sick from my Saturday activities - and it wasn't even the kind of sick where I sat and watched TV or read a book - it was the kind of sick that I slept all day long.  Am feeling better now - but am also a believer - in Zicam.  Have you ever tried it?  I am definitely a convert.  I was first introduced to it in England - caught a cold on the second to last day and the nurse practitioner on the trip gave it to me.  So I went out and got some and I'll tell you - it worked.  May not sound like it since I was in bed all day yesterday - but I'm convinced that it would have been worse than it was if I hadn't been taking the Zicam.  I use the cotton swabs you put in your nose - which is a stretch for me - I don't like putting stuff in my nose and I especially don't like spraying stuff in my nose - but this is a gel on a cotton swab - so that's ok - I know, TMI - but I'm very excited about the product.  I first started feeling lousy on Thursday night and have been taking it since them - and like I said - I truly feel that it has reduced my symptoms.  Enough of Elizabeth's non scientific medical advise.  Please consult your own physician before starting any medical treatment (thought I needed a disclaimer)! :)

So today I was tired and my head is still swimming a bit but I did make it to church - went to the modern service and it was so cute to see this older woman - probably in her 80's - swaying to the beat of the praise songs.  That seemed to start a trend for me - I also volunteered this afternoon to go to the Nursing Home to play music for the service we do there once a month.  And it is such a treat to be able to bring a little joy to them - and they are so appreciative that we come and worship with them.  I did realize though that if I'm going to play my guitar all weekend for Emmaus in a month - I better start practicing and building up my calluses!  

I think that's about it for now - tomorrow I go out to our Whittier office for two days - so we will see what interesting things happen there - or on the road!

It Actually Said 'Don't Walk'

Thought I would share a few observations I’ve made while driving…

May I just say – if you are going to drive like a jerk – do you really want to put Jesus stickers all over your car?   I know that I’m an assertive bordering on aggressive driver – so I don’t like to advertise that I should have grace and mercy while driving.  Now, having said that, I do try to be a better egg when I have passengers in the car.  Just so you don’t think I’m a total lunatic while driving!

And I was always under the impression that when the light turns red – you were supposed to stop.  I saw two different people this morning run the same left turn red at the same intersection at two different times.  Maybe they were confusing it with the right turn which I think is an optional stop when the light is red.

And since when does putting your signal on give you automatic right into that lane – shouldn’t you check to make sure a car isn’t there?!  Of course you also have the people that put their signal on, are clear to move and then don’t change lanes – until you get up near them, though, and then they decide to move – practically cutting you off.  I don’t know which is worse!

Coming in to the parking lot at work, I found it amusing to see a woman in her car holding her cell phone to her ear – what a great example for this company!  Even better is seeing the security people driving around in their golf carts holding their phones up.  Classic!  I’m thinking they need to start doing what I’ve seen quite a few people doing nowadays.  They must have their phone on speaker – so they don’t hold the phone up to their ear – but they hold it up to their mouth instead to talk into it – is that illegal?  Has anyone actually read the code to find out what it actually says?  I’m thinking that isn’t the intent of the law – but I also thought that you were supposed to stop at a red light!  What do I know?!

Two more just fascinating (at least to me) sightings…

I was driving along the other day and at a pedestrian crosswalk – the box didn’t have the red hand – it actually said ‘Don’t Walk’ – have you seen any of those lately?

But the best was this morning as I was driving in – I saw this guy with his hand outside of his car window and it looked like he was holding a cigarette – but his hand looked really weird.  As I drove by – he was holding a cigarette – but he had a plastic glove just on the hand that was holding the cigarette – and all I could think was – you protect your hand from the cigarette but you will put it into your mouth and inhale?  Crazy!

I Need To Carry A Blog Journal As Well

So I keep a book in my car that I take into the doctor's office, or the dentist - or the lab when I take my mom for blood work - just so I have something to read in those places.  I even read it when I'm in the drive thru at my In N Out - they are painfully slow...  Anyway...  I pulled it out this morning to take into the dentist - good thing, too, I sat and waited for 45 minutes!  I noticed that there were 2 bookmarks in it - but one of them wasn't a bookmark - it actually was a note of things I wanted to blog about the last time I was reading the book - which was when I went to urgent care for my toenail!  I will often do that - make notes about things to blog - there is such a note sitting next to my computer right now - one of these days I'll put all the stories together in an entry.  So I was thinking that I carry around a prayer journal for prayer requests - maybe I need to carry a blog journal as well!  How crazy is that?!  Whatever works.

It Is The First Of October

Just a quick hit tonight - am tired and want to go to bed...

But what is up with the heat - must be that global warming thing!  I went to visit my mom today at noon and one of the office buildings by her place said 104!  Crazy - it is the first of October!

And my mom, God Bless Her, told me yesterday on the phone that she needed her summer things since it was going to start getting hotter.  Of course, when I got there today - she was wearing long underwear, corduroy pants and another pair of pants - no wonder she is hot!  She then decided it would be too hot to wear all of those pants outside - so she started to take them all off - which was good since I wanted to take them and wash them - but then I had to remind her three times about the new pants she decided to wear - God Bless Her again!

Anyway - enough for now - goodnight - pleasant dreams and stay cool!

Two Long Rambling Entries

So it’s been an entire week since I posted - what exactly happened to my week last week...

Monday - I did post on Monday - so apparently I had time for that in the evening - but what did I do... oh I remember now - I had a ME night (a night when I don’t answer the phone and I do stuff for me - that usually means laying on the couch and doing nothing) - that was lovely!

Tuesday - we had a wedding shower for one of the guys at work - that was fun - it was a surprise and he was about an hour late - so we had already had a round of drinks and appetizers by the time he got there!  Then I met up with Brandy for yogurt and conversation - always a good time!

Wednesday - prayer right after work and then Bible Study - after Bible Study - helped a friend move some furniture and then hit the gym.  Craig got a workout that an Olympic runner uses when training - so we tried that - thought it might kill me - was a little sore afterwards - but not too bad.  We are supposed to do a mile run at the end of the workout - we didn’t - which was fine for me - I made it up the next day.

Thursday - workout after work - ran a mile and a half and walked half a mile - and the treadmill just kicked my butt!  Then had Children’s choir - they are so cute and so much fun - I help out with the preK through 3rd graders - most of them are 1st grade though.  Then regular choir - which will be the last one for me for a while - can’t make it to practice so I’m taking a break from the choir in October.

Friday - went to a friends for a BBQ - very yummy!  And I have to talk about her pets.  She has a cat - Keisha (aka Cujo - wouldn’t give a second thought to ripping your arm off when you try to pet her) - well, Bless Her Heart - she’s getting old and she has become a two tone cat.  She is grey - but her back half is now a brown color - it was fascinating to see her!  And then their dog, Lucky, he was in the back yard sitting and he all of a sudden started doing this spinning move - I swear it looked like he was on one of  those sit n spins - do you remember them?  It was hilarious watching him just spin in place!  Had a great evening!

Saturday - started with breakfast with friends - went to see another friend to meet her cats for cat sitting I’ll be doing and then I decided that a nap was very important - so I napped.  Then I got my guitar out and practiced some songs since that evening I had to lead music at an Emmaus Gathering - nothing like procrastinating until the last moment!  The Gathering was really good - we had a Tongan youth group come in and do liturgical dance - they were FABULOUS!

Sunday - thought it would be more of a day of rest - ended up at church most of the day - during the service - Craig gave a sermon about keeping people that come and visit - talked about some not so stellar experiences that some of our visitors have encountered and then went through some areas that we can improve on - he then gave a statistic that of 160 people that visited last year - only 12 stayed - and I heard the woman next to me whisper  - in all sincerity - ‘what are we doing wrong?’  And all I could think was - have you been sleeping for the last 20 minutes?  I really had to keep myself from laughing!  I also helped with dinner for the New Beginnings new member class in the afternoon - which was fun - and it was good to see several of the young families that have been coming to Family Fun Night at the class.  And capped it off with yogurt and good conversation with Terrie.

Then last night we had a fundraiser at Ruby’s - so I got there at 5:30pm for dinner (thanks, ladies - it was a good meal and great conversation!) and then ended up staying until almost 8:30pm chatting and dining with other groups.  Kept thinking when I got home last night that ‘I need to post - I need to post’ - but decided that I needed to pick up the clutter in the house even more - so I did that instead - so I thought I would reward you all with two long rambling entries - enjoy!  And I’ll try to be better this week!  As for tonight - it’s turned out to be a ME night - YIPEEE!

I'll Get Busted As A Peeping Tom

Goodness!  It’s been a week and a day since my last post - shame on me!  Think I’ll start with my story about the cat - she was so gracious this morning to run around like a mad woman and yowl at 6am - my usual time to get up - not realizing that I didn’t plan to get up until 6:30am.  Anyway...

So a couple of weeks ago - I got home and was unloading my car around 9:30pm and shut the front door as much as I could without clicking it shut - so when I was unloading I wouldn’t have to empty my hands and could just push the door open.  Well Little Miss Sadie decided that she wanted to be outside and was able to get the door open and then was on her way down the stairs when I walked up with a load - I dropped everything but she was already down and into the bushes across from the stairs.  An then she was gone.  I’ll save you from ALL of the details - just suffice it to say that I spent the next 1/2 hour calling her and trying to corral her back to where the stairs are so that she would go back up to the house.  At one point - I went back upstairs to see if she had somehow gotten past me and was already in the house - she wasn’t and I just collapsed on my bed - thinking she was gone for good and asked God for help.  Just then I heard her yowl from outside (God is good) - so I at least had an idea of where she had gone. 

When I got downstairs - she was over by a neighbor’s patio - a neighbor that has a big dog that lives on the patio - luckily the dog didn’t spot her and I was able to get her out of that area.  The dogs name is Sadie also - so she would peek over the patio wall every once in a while - probably wondering why I was calling her.  At one point I was searching through the bushes by another neighbors bedroom window and I thought - great - now someone is going to call the cops and I’ll get busted as a Peeping Tom - that would really cap off the evening nicely!  I was able to scare the cat through the bushes and back upstairs - where she immediately went into hiding - that and had to lick - she had been outside where it was dirty, of course!

She spent the next day staying away from the front door - but by that evening had decided she wanted to be outside again - now she sits in front of the door every night and yowls - I clicked this picture two nights after our adventure!  Crazy cat - I told her if she goes out again - she can stay out all night - she’d probably like that!  When I first adopted her - I had leash trained her - so we are working on that again so I can take her outside on a leash - and yes, I’ve heard that it’s crazy to do that - but I’m not letting the cat out front by herself.  God Bless Her.

Your Characters Are Flashing Gang Signs

So a couple of weeks ago I actually made it up to the Disneyland Resort – got a call late in the evening from my friend Chris to go watch the Electrical Parade – of course, I couldn’t say no.  When we got there – we had some time to kill and went on the new ride at DCA – Toy Story Mania – and it is fun – very cute – they did a great job with it.  Luckily Chris knew someone working the ride and we walked on – otherwise we would have been waiting about an hour and a half.  The parade was fun to watch – haven’t seen it in a long time.  After the parade we rushed over to Disneyland for fireworks – and they were good also – always!  As I was trying to take photos of the fireworks – Chris at one point commented that I should put them on postcards (reminded me of a comment about leaving the photography to the professionals when we were on the bus in England).  To see the postcard perfect pictures – click here.

And then this last Saturday I enjoyed the day at Magic Mountain – thanks to Holly and Jan and the Thousand Oaks Youth Group.  And that was fun!  I haven’t been there in many, many years!  And I have now had my fill of super thrilling roller coasters for a while.  Jan and Kris and I wore the England uniform – which was fun – made it easy for the kids to spot us as chaperones.  So the first ride we went on called Tatsu – had an unusual riding position – they strapped you in sitting down and then brought you up so that your back was against the track – almost like you are flying – fascinating!  I was a bit queasy on the first ascent – I’m not usually afraid of heights – but it was a weird feeling hanging there with nothing below you – once we made if over the first hill – I was fine – and it was a lot of fun!

The second ride of the day was Roaring Rapids – and against my better judgment – I went on the ride – at least it was early enough in case I got wet!  And got wet I did!  Jan and I took the hit for the rest of the group – Jan more than me – she got soaked top to bottom – I only had water dumped in my lap – soaking my shorts – and even worse – my panties!  Again – at least it was early in the day!  We went on several roller coasters after that and I felt sorry for the people that had to sit on the seat after me – I know that I left a couple of places wet – including a cement planter I sat on!  I did eventually dry – later in the afternoon!

It was a good trip – the kids for the most part were good.  There was a bit of drama at one point involving the taking of shoes and a hat – and all I could think was – ‘Ah to be young again – Not!’  It was fun to hang out with them – but I’m happy to be old.  One of the best parts of the trip – ice cream!  Mmmm… yummy!  We ended up leaving the park before dinner – so unlike lunch – dinner was better food and much cheaper!  I did notice as we were leaving that there were 5 police cars parked outside the entrance and I mentioned that you wouldn’t see that at Disneyland – not that they don’t have that much police presence – it’s just better hidden!  But I guess you need that kind of police presence when your characters are flashing gang signs!  Yes, I saw Tweety at one point flashing gang signs for a picture with a group of kids!  Nice! 

All in all, though it was a great day – and we did lots of walking, so I got my exercise in!  To see some pictures – click here.